From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
A statewide search for an allegedly abducted 7-year-old boy ended peacefully in far western Iowa. An Amber Alert was issued for Bryson Duong after police say he was abducted by Brandon Duong in Greene County. KTIV-TV reports Brandon Duong was involved in a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash near Remsen, Iowa, 45 minutes northeast of Sioux City. Once Brandon Duong was in custody, the Amber Alert for Bryson Duong was cancelled.
We now have the shortlist of people who could become the next Chief of Police for Cedar Rapids. The Civil Service Commission released the names of the top four candidates. They are Jennifer Birkhofer, Jeff Coday, Tom Whitten, and Cedar Rapids Police Capt. David Dostal. He is the only internal candidate. The commission says these names are in order of their ranking, based on evaluation procedures. This list now goes to city manager Jeff Pomerantz, who will select which candidates to interview, with the public meeting the candidates February 7.
Cedar County investigators say DNA technology helped them discover the names of the parents of a newborn girl who was found dead in 1996 on a farm. The girl’s parents are Luke Wilson and Samantha Hope. Law enforcement says they have not been charged with any possible crime. While the update in technology helped to identify the newborn and her parents, there is no current way to prove definitively whether the child was alive or not when she was born.
The Benton County Board of Supervisors appointed five new members to the county’s board of health after the County went without a board of health since October when the supervisors terminated the entire previous board without explanation. The supervisors later said it was because of budget issues. Last week, the supervisors apologized to the former board members, admitting they had read the budget incorrectly. Today, the supervisors presented those previous health board members with plaques.
The Cedar Rapids Fire Department is spending several days this week brushing up on its ice rescue skills. They started training Tuesday and will be out again through Thursday at Noelridge Park. A captain with the department says all of their members are trained to respond in situations involving ice rescues.
